Garment-clasp.



D. L SCOTT. GARMENT GLAfiP. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.14, 1909.

Patented Feb. 14, 1911.

, JUVENyU/T entrain srarns learner oa meal.

DON J. SCOTT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

GARMENT-CLASP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DON J. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment- Clasps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in garment clasps, and the objects of my improvements are simplicity and economy in construction and convenience and elliciency in use.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure l a perspective view of my garment clasp with part of a webbing. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my garment clasp. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 09 a: of Fig. 2, with part of a webbing arranged in a modified form, leaving the nose of the body frame uncovered. Fig. 4 is a similar view, with the webbing omitted and the moving part at an intermediate stage. Fig. 5 is asimilar view with the moving parts at the extreme open position. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the blank of the finger plate. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a modification of my garment clasp.

My garment clasp comprises a body frame A made of a single piece of wire adapted to engage with a loop frame 13, likewise composed of a single piece of wire, both of which are pivotally attached by hinge joints to a finger plate C, which three parts may constitute an entire complete garment clasp, although it may be advantageous to employ a binder D for securing the ends of the wire of the body frame A as shown in Fig. 2.

The wire forming the said body frame is symmetrically bent upward from the middle so as to form a downwardly projecting tongue or body back 10, the lower end of which is bent forward at 11 at an appreciable angle to form a U shaped toe 12 and which constitutes one of the fabric clamping members. At the upper end of said tongue or body back 10 the wire of which the same is formed is bent outward laterally on each side and in alinement so as to form two horizontal hinge members 13 and above which the said wire is brought back upon itself so as to form the top bar 14, the ends 15 of the wire meeting at the center, the said top bar 1 1 being suitable for attachment of the webbing E and separated from Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 14, 1909.

Patented Feb. 141:, 15911.

Serial No. 517,597.

the said hinge memoers 13 by a space 16 suitable for permitting free movement of the operative elements of my clasp, respectively the said loop frame B and linger plate C, so as to open and close my clasp, all as will be hereinafter described. The said loop frame 13 is likewise formed of a single piece of wire, symmetrically formed, and comprises a lower loop member 17 having an elongated loop 18 adapted to pass over the said clamping member 12, and engage with the same, the arms 19 of which loop member 17 are brought together above said loop 18 at the central line and are in actual abutment adjacent to the top, the upper ends of which arms are bent outward laterally in horizontal alinen'ient so as to form the hinge members 21, all the bends being made in one plane.

The finger plate C of my clasp comprises a generally flat plate or strip of sheet metal which may be narrowed down at the lower portion and have the tip bent outward suitably for an operating handle 22 and has the upper corners 23 set backward appreciably as at 2 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the blank has two pair of fingers extending upwardly from the top edge, the pair of outside fingers 25 extending upwardly from the said upper corners 23 and adapted to be bent or curled over generally backward and downward so as to form hinge members 26 suitable for engagement with the said hinge iembers 13 of the said body frame A and the pair of intermediate fingers 27 extending upwardly from the central top surface or body of the plate 0, longer than the said fingers 25, separated from the same by the spaces 28 and from one another by the central space 29, and adapted to have their ends bent or curled over so as to form the hinge members 30 suitable for engaging witli the said hinge members 21 of the said loop frame B.

I prefer to make the central. space 29 short relatively to the fingers 27 leaving a filling or web between the same which so far as it extends along the fingers will take the same curvature as the fingers so that the outer edge 32 may serve as an engaging edge and be adapted to operate as a means of opening out the loop frame B away from the body frame A after the loop 18 of the loop member 17 has been dropped down and clear of the toe 12 of the body frame A as will be hereinafter described. The said toe 12 may be covered with webbing or cloth by tucking the end of the webbing or cloth 33 through the tongue 10 from the front backward and then passing the body of said webbing downward and backward over the too 12 and then upward along the back of the body frame A up to the top where it is secured to the top bar 14, in any ordinary manner, as by stitching, as shown at 34; in Fig. 1, in which one line of stitching holds the loop members of a loop 35 of the main webbing E engaged with the top bar 14 and the upper end 36 of the covering piece 37, which covering piece is shown as integral with the said main. webbing.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the clamping toe is replaced by an eyelet button F, comprising the hollow barrel 40 and the ordinary rolled or turned end all at the front and a securing rolled end 42 at the back which is turned over the lower end of the tongue 10 of the body frame it, so as to secure the said button to the said frame. The said frame may have the same essentially direct or straight formation of the loop members forming the tongue as shown for 10 in Fig. 2 or'may be bowed out as shown for 10 Fig. 7, so as to give more free play to the resiliency of the wire of which it is formed. In the said modification shown in Fig. 7 it is possible also to dispense with the binder D and provide a continuous straight bar 14:" for the webbing by bringing the wire ends 15" of the wire forming the body A, within the securing rolled end 42 of the button F. The said button I may be covered by cloth or webbing precisely in the manner disclosed with reference to the style shown in Fig. 1, although on account of the construction of the same there is no necessity for so doing, as the liability of injuring the fabric is minimixed by the turned edges that are provided, and also by the relatively large size of the barrel, which being hollow, insures a large barrel surface, and relative strength with a minimum amount of material.

In the operation of my clasp, the finger plate C, which may be conveniently operated by means of the operating handle 22, may be swung through essentially 180 degrees with reference to the body frame A. on the hinge members 13 and 26 as a pivot, the united or locked position being essentially vertical, with the handle 22 at its lowest point, in which position the hook frame B has its loop member 17 in engagement with the toe 12 or button F and the hinge members 21 and 30, on account of the backward set of the hinge members 26 of the plate C, is in a position in front of the hinge members 13 and 26, so that any down- "frame, a loop frame, and a finger plate, the

said body frame formed of wire and com prising means for receiving a webbing at the upper end, a clamping toe at the lower end, and intermediate the said ends having a pair of hinge members, the said hinge members and upper end separated by an operating space, the said loop frame formed of wire and comprising a clamping member at the lower end and a pair of hinge members at the upper end, the said finger plate formed of sheet metal and comprising at one end hinge members engaging with said hinge members on said loop frame, adjacent said end and offset relatively thereto hinge members engaging with said hinge members on said body frame, and at the other end an operating handle, and adapted in engaging and disengaging said clamping members to swing said loop frame hinge members across said operating space. 2. In a garment clasp having a bod frame, aloop frame having supporting arms, and a finger plate provided with pivotal connections with said body frame and arms, the said frames provided with engaging clamping members, the said finger plate comprising a plate-like body, the lower end adapted for a handle and the upper end adapted to serve as a link having at its ends said pivotal connections, and the loop frame connections at the end remote from said handle and comprising fingers curved to form hinge members and separated so as to admit between them the said arms, the said fingers cross-connected at their inner ends by a web, and the outer edge of said web adapted to engage with said arms so as to open out said loop frame from said body fame.

DON J. SCOTT. [Ls] Vitnesses LonuN D. PnNrm'LD, An'rirnn W. Klein. 

